Priesthill ( gd, Cnoc an t-Sagairt) is a neighbourhood in the south of the River Clyde in the Scottish city of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. It falls under the Greater Pollok ward of the city council area. The

Darnley Darnley is an area in south-west Glasgow, Scotland, on the A727 just west of Arden (the areas are separated by the M77 motorway although a footbridge connects them). Other nearby neighbourhoods are Priesthill to the north, Southpark Village t ...

neighbourhood is located to the south, on the opposite side of the

Glasgow South Western Line The Glasgow South Western Line is a mainline railway in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Kilmarnock, and then either via Dumfries, or Stranraer via Ayr, with a branch to East Kilbride. History The line was built by several railway compan ...

railway (both areas are served by

Priesthill and Darnley railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Priesthill and Darnley March 2013.jpg , caption = Priesthill & Darnley station in 2013 , borough = Priesthill and Darnley, Glasgow , co ...

), while

Nitshill Nitshill ( gd, Cnoc nan Cnòthan) is a district on the south side of Glasgow. It is bordered by South Nitshill to the south, Darnley to the east, Crookston and Roughmussel to the north-west, Hurlet to the west and Househillwood and Priesthill ...

lies to the west and

Househillwood Househillwood is a residential neighbourhood of Glasgow, Scotland, situated in the south-west of the city. Location and history Househillwood is close to the centre of the Pollok district and is often considered to be part of ' Greater Pollo ...

and the

Silverburn Centre Silverburn (also known as Pollok Town Centre or The Centre) is an out-of-town shopping centre located on Barrhead Road in Pollok, Glasgow, Scotland. The development replaces the Pollok centre with a brand new shopping centre, anchored by T ...

shopping complex to the north. The

M77 motorway The M77 motorway is a motorway in Scotland. It begins in Glasgow at the M8 motorway at Kinning Park, and terminates near Kilmarnock at Fenwick, becoming the A77 dual carriageway. Changes were made in 2005 segregating a lane on the M8 motor ...

runs to the east of Priesthill with open farmland beyond.

History

Priesthill was first mentioned in ancient text as a farm community owned by Walter Steward the progenitor of later Stuart kings and queens.

Lord Darnley Lord Darnley is a noble title associated with a Scottish Lordship of Parliament, first created in 1356 for the family of Stewart of Darnley and tracing a descent to the Dukedom of Richmond in England. The title's name refers to Darnley in Sco ...

, husband of

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...

, owned the land where Priesthill is located. During the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

, it is alleged a Catholic priest was hanged from a tree near Darnley Lane on the edge of the area, which is now called Priesthill to commemorate the occasion. More than likely the area was named after Priesthill Near Muirkirk, some twenty miles to the south over open country in Ayrshire. Others allege that Priesthill was named after an ancient church that stood at the top of the hill on Stewart land. However, there is no historical or viva voce testimony to validate the claim. It is also said that Mary and Darnley did their courting near Darnley Lane. An ancient tree still stands at the end of the Darnley lane, which is now adjacent to a main highway (

A726 The A726 road in Scotland is a major route with several distinct sections with different characteristics and names; owing to its stages of construction, since 2005 it has two separate parts, the first running between Strathaven in South Lanark ...

). Once part the parish of

Eastwood Eastwood may refer to: Places ;in Australia *Eastwood, New South Wales **Eastwood railway station **Electoral district of Eastwood *Eastwood, South Australia ;in Canada * Eastwood, Ontario *Eastwood, Edmonton, Alberta, a neighborhood ;in the Ph ...

Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () ( sco, Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Re ...

, the area was encompassed within Glasgow at the same time as

Pollokshaws Pollokshaws ( sco, Powkshaws) is an area on the South side of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is bordered by the residential neighbourhoods of Auldhouse to the east, Eastwood and Hillpark to the south and Shawlands to the north, with the Gl ...

in the 1910s. Priesthill was one of the earliest attempts made by the Glasgow local government to relocate families from the outdated central tenements of

Gorbals The Gorbals is an area in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, on the south bank of the River Clyde. By the late 19th century, it had become densely populated; rural migrants and immigrants were attracted by the new industries and employment opportun ...

and other districts. Several homeless families were housed there in or around 1948–1950. St Robert Bellarmine Secondary and other public schools were built to educate the influx of new residents in the early 1950s. The hills beyond Priesthill were farmed until the 1960s and formed part of the

Kennishead Kennishead ( sco, Kennisheid, gd, Ceann Ceanais)
is a ...

farm owned by Sir John Maxwell. This land was bought by

Glasgow Corporation The politics of Glasgow, Scotland's largest city by population, are expressed in the deliberations and decisions of Glasgow City Council, in elections to the council, the Scottish Parliament and the UK Parliament. Local government As one o ...

for housing purposes and the

development was built there. Eastwoodmains, adjacent to Arden and Priesthill, was being farmed by the MacDonald family into the 1960s; this land was taken partially to make way for the new

. The houses built by the local government in the 1950s were mostly condemned and levelled in the 2000s and the land used for a mixture of private and public housing developments. Others were refurbished in the 1980s, but required further substantial investment by the 2010s.

Notable residents

* Limmy

References

External links

*
Priesthill and Househillwood Thriving Place
Glasgow Community Planning Partnership, October 2017
Priesthill and Househillwood
Understanding Glasgow, 2012 {{Areas of Glasgow Areas of Glasgow